In the past, the tops of ranges have been constructed from steel and coated with an enamel surface. In recent years, however, manufacturers have begun using glass and ceramic range top panels. Glass is a popular surface for a cooking appliance because it provides, among other advantages for the user, a smoother, lustrous and attractive surface that is easily cleaned. Unfortunately, it is difficult to seal around the glass range top and is particularly difficult to provide an easily removable and sealable glass range top.
Typically, the glass panels used in ranges and range tops fit into a framework. In order to keep foreign material, such as spilled food, from seeping past the glass panel and into the interior of the range, the glass panels are sealed in place by hand, for example, by application of a bead of silicone RTV caulking material peripherally between the panel and the mounting frame. Such a manufacturing step requires great attention and control and is labor intensive. In addition, once the panel is sealed in position, service or repair of any components located under the panel presents a problem. To perform such service or repair, the glass panel must be removed, which destroys the peripheral seal. Of course, the original caulking material must be cleaned from the glass panel and new RTV caulking must be applied during reinstallation to reseal the glass panel in the range top, adding time and material cost to the cost of service and repair. Thus, a system that can provide a reliable, easily installable seal around glass range top panels capable of precluding spills, boilovers and other foreign matter from the range top interior, and that can provide removability, allowing easy access to components under the range top for maintenance or repair without destroying the seal or its integrity, is needed and would be advantageous to manufacturers, service personnel and consumers alike.